Benza Vineyards

Benza Vineyards in Hillsboro, Oregon is among the newest additions to the thriving Willamette Valley wine scene — producing award-winning, organically-grown still and sparkling wines in a beautiful setting.

Nestled in the Hillsboro, well, hills about 45 minutes outside of Portland, Benza Vineyards is not just one of the newer wineries in the area. It’s also staking its claim to be among the best.

Benza’s lineup includes favorite Willamette Valley varietals Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. But it also includes sparkling wines made in part with Pinot Meunier, plus a Syrah sourced from eastern Oregon’s Rocks District.

And many of these wines are already achieving scores in the mid-90s from renowned critics.

About Benza Vineyards

Owners Ron Benza and Trish Damkroger first explored owning a vineyard more than 20 years ago in 2004. At the time, they were looking at areas near Sonoma or Livermore, California. But nothing they saw seemed like quite the right fit.

A few years later, Trish accepted a prestigious role at Intel in Hillsboro, and their search for the perfect vineyard location followed them to Oregon.

Finally in 2017, they found what they were looking for, which happened to be an established vineyard in the Laurelwood District AVA. They released their first vintage the following year, which included the 2018 Benza estate Pinot Noir. And a year after that, they debuted their sparkling Crémant of Oregon.

Now they offer a robust lineup of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines.

Benza wines

Marlynn and I visited Benza in March 2025 and we each tried their standard tasting menu, which included:

• 2022 Pinot Gris Reserve ($40)
• 2022 Touch of Gold Estate Chardonnay ($42)
• 2021 Symphony Pinot Noir ($44)
• 2018 Estate Pinot Noir ($54)
• 2022 Borderlands Syrah ($64)

2022 Pinot Gris Reserve

Pinot Gris used to be a mainstay variety in the northern Willamette Valley. But over the past decade or so, it’s taken a backseat to more well-known whites like Chardonnay.

But Benza’s Pinot Gris is a bit different than the traditional clean and crisp ones you may have tried in the past. That’s because they age them in oak barrels, much like some Chardonnays are. The result is a slightly oaky wine with hints of vanilla and toasty caramel. If you haven’t had a Pinot Gris in a while, this one is an excellent way to reacquaint yourself with the varietal.

2022 Touch of Gold Estate Chardonnay

If you visit Benza Vineyards’ tasting room, chances are you’ll notice a portrait of a horse with a bottle of wine near its front hooves. The horse, long-owned by the Benzas, was called “Lucky Touch of Gold” or “Touch” for short, and that’s where this wine gets its name.

This estate Chardonnay is barrel-aged but isn’t overly oaky. It features well-balanced acidity and delightful notes of stone fruit, green apple, and a bit of toastiness.

2021 Symphony Pinot Noir

This elegant, fruit-forward red, which received 93 points from wine critic James Suckling, was our favorite on the tasting menu. Featuring prominent red fruit flavors like black cherry and strawberry, and just a hint of pepper, this easy-drinking Pinot Noir is both approachable and refined. You can easily drink this wine now, or cellar it for a few years to enjoy an even more exceptional wine.

2018 Estate Pinot Noir

Among the earliest wines produced by Benza, the 2018 estate Pinot Noir has classic notes of dark cherry and earthiness. But it also features noticeable spiciness. While richer than the 2021 Symphony, we preferred the latter’s silky smoothness and more pronounced fruit aromas.

2022 Borderlands Syrah

The grapes for this wine are sourced from the Rocks District in Milton-Freewater, right on the border between eastern Oregon and Washington. Hence the name.

If you’ve had a Syrah from this region, you’re likely familiar the trademark “funk” for which these wines are known. Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of the funk. For me, it almost always overpowers the more pleasant fruit and tertiary aromas of the wine.

The same was somewhat true for this Syrah, but the funk was much less prominent than in other wines I’ve had from the area. So, if you like deep, rich red wines with some funk but not a lot, this may be right up your alley.

Food at Benza

Benza is known for its charcuterie board. I know what you’re thinking: “What’s so special about a charcuterie board at a winery?” Yes, they’re fairly commonplace, but this was among the best we’ve had.

Featuring a rich assortment of salamis, cheeses, crackers, apples, olives, chocolates, and more, one board was enough to feed all five in our party. Our favorite bite was the soft fromage blanc with a topping of honey. In all, it was the perfect accompaniment to our tasting.

If you’re in the mood for a full meal in a vineyard setting, you’re in luck. Benza also has the good fortune of having an assistant winemaker, Ivan Minuet, who is also a CIA-trained chef (Culinary Institute of America). Mineut creates unique menus for everything from special pop-up events to intimate wine dinners. Ask the staff at Benza for more information on upcoming events.

It’s a dog’s life

If you’re a dog lover, then you’ll love getting to know some of the furry friends at Benza. When we visited, we met no fewer than four dogs who roam around the vineyard, ranging from the Chloe the Great Pyrenees to Bruno the Australian Shepherd.

We’ve got a spot for pups so we didn’t mind when they would sidle up to our table looking for a morsel of charcuterie. Or in the case of Bruno, gently ease up onto my leg to poke his head over the table.

But if you’re not into pooches, you may want to request a table that’s more out of the way, or a high top.

Benza tasting experience

Benza has a few of different tasting areas. They include an outdoor porch and lawn overlooking one of the vineyards, as well as an indoor main tasting room called the Stables.

As is typical in Oregon in spring, it was raining pretty steadily the day of our tasting. So we grabbed a secluded table in the Stables. It’s tastefully decorated to feel warm and cozy. And our table was tucked away at the back behind a partial wall, which gave us some added privacy.

Benza welcomes walk-ins, but 90-minute appointments are also available from 11am to 3:30pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The tasting fee is $40 per person, waived with an $80 wine purchase or Club sign-up.

And you can even bring your own dog, as long as you keep it on a leash.

Visiting Benza Vineyards

Benza Vineyards
16740 SW Pinot Place
Hillsboro, OR 97123

503-452-8577

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